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Some Milwaukee Walmart workers celebrate promotions

Thousands of Walmart workers nationwide are getting the news that they are getting promoted.

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Updated: 7:59 PM CDT Oct 29, 2013

Some Milwaukee Walmart workers celebrate promotions

Thousands of Walmart workers nationwide are getting the news that they are getting promoted.

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Shares

Copy Link

{copyShortcut} to copy
Link copied!

Updated: 7:59 PM CDT Oct 29, 2013

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WEBVTT NEW AT SIX-- A NATIONWIDE PUSH TO PROMOTE EMPLOYEES -- FROM A COMPANY UNDER FIRE FOR HOW IT TREATS IT WORKERS. SO WISN 12 NEWS' MARIANNE LYLES QUESTIONS A TOP WALMART EXECUTIVE ABOUT THE TIMING OF THIS RETAIL RALLY. STAND UP STAND UP NEARLY A YEAR AGO -- EMPLOYEES PROTESTED. CLAPPING NOW WORKERS CELEBRATE. A RARE INVITE INTO A MILWAUKEE WALMART AT 27TH & MORGAN. VP: TO BECOME A MERCHANDISE SUPERVISOR PRECIOUS: OH! THANK YOU! SEVERAL EMPLOYEES LIKE PRECIOUS JOHNSON WERE PROMOTED. THIS MOTHER OF TWO IS BECOMING A DEPARTMENT MANAGER. PRECIOUS JOHNSON: I WAS SHOCKED. THIS WAS NOT PLANNED. I THOUGHT I CAME HERE JUST TO HELP. NATIONWIDE 25-THOUSAND WORKERS ARE GETTING THE SAME NEWS. KARISA SPRAGUE, A SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, SAYS THE COMPANY IS JUST PROMOTING THE PROMOTIONS, BUT I QUESTIONED THEIR TIMING. MARIANNE LYLES: WALMART HAS BEEN CRITICIZED IN YEARS PAST FOR ITS TREATMENT OF WORKERS, NOT GETTING ENOUGH PAY MINIMUM WAGE EVEN WORKERS WITH THE PROTEST LAST HOLIDAY. IS THIS IN RESPONSE TO THAT CRITICISM? SPARGUE: NO ABSOLUTELY NOT. WE'VE HAD THIS EVENT PLANNED FOR QUITE SOME TIME. MARIANNE LYLES: A LOT OF THESE DISPLAYS ARE FALL OR HALLOWEEN RELATED, BUT WAL-MART SAYS A LOT OF THESE PROMOTIONS ARE ACTUALLY PART OF THEIR PLAN AS THEY LOOK AHEAD TO THE HOLIDAY SHOPPING SEASON. SPRAGUE: WHEN WE THINK ABOUT GOING INTO THE HOLIDAY, IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO OUR ASSOCIATES THAT THEY HEAR FROM OUR LEADERSHIP HOW MUCH WE APPRECIATE WHAT THEY DO. JOHNSON SAYS SHE'S HEARD COMPLAINTS. JOHNSON: PEOPLE ARE GOING TO SAY WHAT THEY WANT TO SAY. AND HER ONLY CONCERN IS HER FAMILY. IN MILWAUKEE MARIANNE LYLES WISN 12 NEWS. AS FOR THE NATIONWIDE PROTESTS, WALMART DESCRIBES THEM AS A VERY SMALL MINORITY ON THE OUTSIDE OF WALMART CHOOSING TO HOLD

Some Milwaukee Walmart workers celebrate promotions

Thousands of Walmart workers nationwide are getting the news that they are getting promoted.